| The light at the end of the tunnel Do you get the feeling that we have been here before but also, in some way, it feels different? The experts tell us that the spread of the Omicron variant will get much worse before it gets better. We’ve all heard it and most of us are resigned to that fact and are planning for the impacts ahead. It would be wise to plan for staff shortages and plan for how to continue to operate if a number of your staff get sick with Covid or have to isolate as close contact. Business.govt.nz have a number of helpful suggestions and links to resources to help manage the impact of Covid on your business and we have shared a link below. The team here at One Mahurangi is still planning future events but is keeping in mind that dates and details may need to be changed as the Omicron wave spreads and we find out more about its impacts. One of the events One Mahurangi is planning for is a Thank You Dinner at the town hall for our local emergency services. If you live or work in Warkworth you would have heard the sirens going off four or five times a day over the summer holidays. Each time I thought of the Emergency Services personnel who respond to those calls – for a lot of them their service is as a volunteer. As you will see from the flyer below, One Mahurangi would like to host a dinner for those Emergency Services to say THANK YOU. Invited guests will include the Warkworth, Snells Beach, Matakana and Leigh Fire Brigade, St Johns Ambulance, NZ Police, Coastguard, and Surf Lifesaving. The idea is that this event will give the Mahurangi business community a chance to say thank you to our local heroes for their service and hard work over the summer. We have a dedicated bank account number listed in the flyer so donations can be made and any funds left over after the dinner will be passed back to each group. The evening is scheduled for the 30th March but that will depend on how Covid plays out in the next few weeks. We may need to push the date out but for now, we are keen to hear from you if your business would like to be involved or if you would like to help. As we look forward to what is ahead let’s keep an eye on the light at the end of the tunnel. The experts tell us that we could well be on a downward trajectory after six to eight weeks and, hopefully with most people double and triple vaxxed, the impacts of the Covid spread might not be too severe. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the experts are right. Hopefully, this next phase will be over within a couple of months and life can finally return to some sense of normality again. I hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is good news for us and not yet another train! We can only hope.  Murray Chapman Manager, One Mahurangi Business Association murray@onemahurangi.co.nz www.onemahurangi.co.nz Support Local, Buy Local, Employ Local, Love Local! |
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